James Thomas Northrup (November 24, 1939 – June 8, 2011[1]), nicknamed "the Silver Fox" due to his prematurely graying hair, was an American Major League Baseball outfielder and left-handed batter who played for the Detroit Tigers (1964–74), Montreal Expos (1974) and Baltimore Orioles (1974–75).

Northrup's versatility allowed then-manager Mayo Smith to make him the Tigers' center fielder in the 1968 World Series, as Smith famously moved regular center fielder Mickey Stanley to shortstop to replace the weak-hitting Ray Oyler.

Even after the family moved six miles away to St. Louis, Northrup spent his summers and weekends during the winter at his grandparents' farm.

[3] Once a year, Northrup and his father would make a seven-hour drive (before the expressways) to Detroit when the Boston Red Sox came to town.

Rather than pay full price, his father would "wait until the sixth or seventh inning, because then you could give the guy outside a buck or two and you could go out there and watch Ted play.

Northrup spent four years in the minor leagues (1961–1964), playing for the Duluth–Superior Dukes, Decatur Commodores, Tennessee Smokies, and Syracuse Chiefs.

In 1965, Northrup had a .205 batting average as he appeared in 54 games in the Detroit outfield,[2] competing for playing time with Al Kaline, Don Demeter, Gates Brown, and fellow rookie Willie Horton.

Northrup finally showed his abilities as a batter, as he hit 24 doubles, 16 home runs, and ended the season with a .465 slugging percentage.

[2] In 1967, competition for a spot in the Detroit outfield intensified as Mickey Stanley proved to be an exceptional defensive player.

[5] Northrup played in a rotation of four players at the three outfield positions, with Willie Horton, Mickey Stanley, and Al Kaline being the others.

[6] This made him one of only 13 players (through July 28, 2009) to have hit 2 grand slams in one game, and the second to do so in consecutive at-bats (the first was Jim Gentile in 1961).

Larry Parrish later accomplished the same feat in 1982,[7] however, Northrup hit his three slams in only 14 plate appearances, setting a record that still stands as of 2021.

[update][8] Northrup's fifth grand slam came in Game 6 of the 1968 World Series, fueling a 13-1 blowout win for Detroit.

Northrup hit a triple over center fielder Curt Flood's head, as Norm Cash and Willie Horton both scored.

[10] Bill Freehan followed with a double to score Northrup, and the Tigers won Game 7 to become World Series Champions.

Curt Flood, normally a superb defensive outfielder, was tagged a "goat" for having misplayed Northrup's Game 7 triple.

Northrup noted: "We got sick and tired of reading Martin say in the papers, 'I manage good, and they play bad.'

After retiring from baseball, Northrup signed with the Detroit Caesars, a professional softball team, and played two seasons (1977–1978).

The Caesars had extensive talent from the amateur softball leagues and both Northrup and fellow former-Tiger Norm Cash played part-time and promotional roles.

Longtime friend Bill Wischman said Northrup had been recently admitted to an assisted living facility in Holly, Michigan, 20 miles from his home in Highland.

Northrup was survived by his wife Patty; children Kamil, Azaria, Jim, Paige and Kate; and seven grandchildren.